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H. F. BECHMAN..

MEANS FOR CLAMPING STEREOTYPE PLATES IN PLATE FINISHING MACHINES. APPLICATION FILED APR. 26. 1916.

1,312,073. I Patented Aug. 5,1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

I II I 1 :i: I 3 I M I I I :f I f I IPI Lil .I I II PC I -5 Mk "I 2 I 7 "i I I M CZIII I 6Q I Li I I I I I I H. F. BECHMAN.

MEANS FOR CLAMPING STEREOTYPE PLATES IN PLATE FINISHING MACHINES.

' APPLICATION FILED APILZB. I916.

1,812,073. Patented Aug. 5,1919.

Z SHEETSSHEET 2.

I flf/nesses rrnn stra ns PATENT onnron HENRY r. BECHMAN, 0F BATTLE CREEK, MICHIGAN, AssIGNoia TODUPLEX PRINTING PRESS COMPANY, or BATTLE canEK, MICHIGAN, a CORPORATION or MICHIGAN,

MEANS FOR CLAMPING STEREOTYPE-PLATES IN surname-reams MACHINES.

Specification of Letters latent.

Patented Augu 5, 1919 Application filed April 26, 1916. Serial No; 93,G96.-

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, HENRY F. BECIIMA'Ni a citizen of the United States, residing at Battle Creek, in the county of Calhoun and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Means for Clamping Stereotype-Plates in Plate-Finishing Machines; and I hereby declarethat the following is a full, clear, and exact de scription thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification.

This invention is a novel improvement in machines for boring and trimming stereotype plates and has reference to means for clamping the plates in the plate holder during the boring and trimming operations on the plates. The invention particularly relates to machines of the kind shown in Patent No. 1,129,947 dated MarchZnd, 1915; and its object is to provide means whereby after the plate is inserted in the holder it can be quickly expanded andheld therein by spring actuated means so that the plate cannot loosen up during the boring and finishing operations because of cooling or con traction; and therefore the plate when finished will be of uniform thickness throughout and truly bored. g

I will explain the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings which will enable others to understand and use the same, and summarize in the claims following the description the essential features and combinations of parts for which protection is desired.

In said drawings:

Figure 1 is a detail plan view of part of the boring and trimming machine illustrated in said patent, provided with my novel plate holding devices.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical sectional View on line 2-2 Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section through the plate holder on the line 33, Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a detail. m 4

Figs. 5 and 6 are detail sectional views on the lines 5'5 Fig. 3 respectively showin the plate holding devices inengaged anc disengaged position.- i it In the example shown in the drawings the tubular plateholdcr 3 is rotatably mounted inbearingsfi; supported upon abedfi or table 1, and operated substantially as described 111 my aforesaid patent. Said. plate holder 3 lsprovided with an internal longitudinal rib 3 adapted to engage a slot in the tubular plate P and worming one abutment against which the plate is held as described in saidpatent. t t

On the exterior of plate holder 3 intermediate the bearin 2 is mounted a collar 4, which may practically cover the holderi between the bearings 2. This collar 4is rotatable upon the holder 3, but its extentof IIIOVBIIIGHlJ lihQlGOTL is limited block 4 fastened to the exterior of the holder and occnpying a slot 4 in the collar;

Mounted upon and substantially surrounding the collar 4 is a stout annular spring. 5 one end of which is securely fastened to the holder 3 by means of bolts 5 extending through the block4t the h1ock 4 being thick enough to prevent that endof the spring 5being clam ed so tightly against the collar 4 as to inter ere with the shifting 5 tive movement of the holder and collar.

Pins 6 may beadjustably secured to the collar by means of tap bolts $3. The inner ends of the pins 6 are shouldered as at 6, and these shouldered portions project into the interior of the holder 3 adj acentthjefollowingedge of bar 3 said bar being notched as shownat 3 for the accommodation of the shouldered ends of these pins,- seeFigs'. 3

and 4.

Mounted on the collar 4 adiacent one end of the spring 5 is a cam 7; which may be pivoted on a stud 4? attached to the collar 4' andsaid maybe seci'ired on the stud .4 by a washer 4* and screw 4 or in any other suitable manner, so as to retain the cam on the stud Vt liil fiiilfiitfiifig i tiiiaiiildli of the plates is cam. The cam may be provided with a handle 7 by which it canbe turned said handle being preferably curved So that it will not unduly project beyond the periphery of the spring 5 or bearings 2. y

The cam 7 is provided with a fiat surface 7 which lies opposite the adjacent end of the spring 5 when the cam is in the position shown in Figs. 1 and 5; which is its normal ositionand in such osition the s )rin 5 P 7 p a is contracted (see Fig. 2). And when said spring contracts it tends to move the collar 4 clockwise and the holder 3 anti-clockwise, and to project the shouldered ends of the pins 6 out of the slots 3 see Figs. 2 and 5.

When itis desired to insert a plate P in the holder the cam 7 is turned to the position shown in Fig. 6 and indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1, so that it engages the adjacent end of the spring 5 and forces one end of the spring 5 and-holder 3 in one direction, and the otherend of spring 5 and collar 4 in the opposite direction, so that the pins or abutments 6 areretracted into the notches 3 see Fig. 6. When the-studs are in this position a plate P can be readily inserted endwise into the holder, the slot in the plate loosely en gaging the bar 3 After the plate P is properly inserted on the holder the cam 7 is turned so as to release spring 5 and permit it to contract, and in so contracting the spring tends to move the holder 3 and collar 4 oppositely and projects the shouldered pins or abutments 6 out of the slots 3 and into engagement with the adjacent edge of the slot in plate .P, and as the other edge of the slot is arrested by the bar 3 it results that the plate .is forcibly expanded and locked by the spring in the holder (see Figs. 4: and 5).

The spring 5 should be made of sufficient strength toexpand the plate. The advantage of such spring expansion of the plate is that the plate is always held securely and truly within the holder. The plate when inserted in the holder is usually hot and there is a slight tendency of the plate to contract as it cools, but anysuch contraction of the plate is immediately compensated for by the action of the spring 5, so that the exterior surface of the plate'will always be tightly bound against the interior vwall of the h0lder,'n0 matter ,how the temperature of the plate may vary and this insures that the plate will be truly. and accurately trimmed by the tools 8,.-'as describedinmy .sa1d patent, and the plate will not have any play within the holder. The expansion "and locking of the plate;in theholder is practically automatically accomplished by the operatioirofthe spring upon the release of thecami, andthe locking and releasingof accomplished very quickly and easily! i Whenthe spring-Bis expanded by the ap- 'plicat-ion of the cam 7 (Fig. 6) the pins 6 are retracted into the slots 3 and the finished plate can be freely withdrawn, and a new plate inserted; and when the cam releases the spring 5 the latter instantly causes the expansion of the plate and maintains the plate expanded at all times, so long as the spring is free from the cam.

\Vhile I have explained the invention as applied to machines for operating upon tuholder, abutments therein adapted to engage opposite edges of a stereotype plate, and spring means operativcly acting upon both abutments for causing these abutlncnts to move oppositely and clamp the plate in the holder.

2. In combination, a plate holder, abutments adapted to engage the edges oi a plate, and spring means opcratively connected with both abutments for forcibly separating these abutments to clamp the plate in the holder.

3. In combination, a stereotype plate holder, abutments therein adapted to engage opposite edges of a plate, spring means operatively acting upon both abutmcnts to cause the abutments to move oppositely and forcibly engage the edges of the plate in the holder, and means for causing the abut- 5. In combination, a tubular plate holder.

an abutment therein, radially disposed pins projecting into the holder adjacent the abutment, the abutment and pins being adapted to engage opposite edges of a plate in the holder, spring means operativcly acting upon both pins and abutment for moving the pins away from the abutment so as to clamp the plate, and means for moving the pins toward the abutment to release the plate.

' 6. In combination. a tubular holder. an abutment therein adapted to be engaged by one edge of a plate, movable abutments adapted to engage the other edge of the plate, spring means operatively connected with both abutments and adapted to separate the abutments, and means for causing the abutments to release the plate.

7. In combination, a tubular holder, a longitudinal abutment therein adapted to be engaged by one edge of a plate, pins adjacent the said abutment, spring means exterior to the holder adapted to move the pins away from the abutment and into engagement with the other edge of the plate, and means for moving the pins to release the plate.

8. In combination, a tubular plate holder, an abutment therein, radially disposed pins projecting into the holder adjacent the abutment, the abutment and pins being adapted to engage opposite edges of a plate in the holder, spring actuated means operatively connected with both the pins and abutment for moving the pins away from the abut ment so as to clamp the plate, and means for forcing the pins toward the abutment to re lease the plate.

9. In combination, a plate holder having an abutment, a spring exterior to the holder and having one end connected therewith; movable pins in the holder adjacent the abutment and connected to the other end of the spring; said abutment and pins being adapted to clamp a plate when the spring contracts, and means for causing the abut-- ments to release a plate.

10. In combination, a plate holder having an abutment, a spring exterior to the holder and having one end connected therewith, movable pins projecting into the holder adjacent the abutment and connected to the other end of the spring; said abutment and pins being adapted to clamp a plate when the spring contracts; and means for forcibly expanding the spring to release the plate.

11. In combination, a tubular plate holder having a longitudinal abutment therein, a. collar rotatably mounted on the holder, a spring surrounding the collar and having one end fixedly connected with the holder through an opening in said collar; pins connected with the other end of the spring and projecting into the holder through openings therein and in the collar, said pins and abutments being adapted to expand the plate in the holder when the spring is released.

12. In combination, a tubular plate holder having a longitudinal abutment therein,.a collar rotatably mounted on the &

holder, a spring having one end fixedly connected with the holder through an opening in said collar, pins connected with the other end of the spring and projecting into the holder, said pins and abutment being adapted to expand the plate in the holder when the spring contracts, and means for expanding the spring so as to cause the pins to release the" plate.

13. In combination, a holder having a longitudinal bar adapted to engage one edge of a plate, a collar rotatably mounted upon said holder, pins attached to said collar and projecting into said holder adjacent one edge of the bar, a spring having one end connected to the holder, and means connecting the other end of said spring to the collar whereby said holder and collar are moved in opposite directions by the contraction oi' the sprin 14. In combination, a tubular plate holder having a longitudinal bar to engage one edge of the plate, a collar rotatably mounted upon said holder, pins attached to said collar and projecting into said holder adjacent one edge of the abutment, a spring having one end rigidly attached to the holder and the other end to the collar, whereby said holder and collar are normally adapted to be moved in opposite directions by the contraction of the spring; with means whereby said spring may be expanded to cause the pins to release the plate.

15. In combination, a tubular plate holder having a longitudinal bar adapted to engage one edge of a plate, a collar rotatably mounted upon said holder, pins attached to said collar and projecting into said holder through openings therein adjacent one edge of the bar, an annular spring exterior to the collar and having one end rigidly attached to the holder through an opening in the collar, means connecting the other end oi said spring to the collar whereby said holder and collar are normally adapted to be moved in opposite directions by the contraction of the spring; and a cam pivotally mounted upon the collar and adapted to engage the end of the spring attached to the holder, whereby said spring may be expanded to cause the pins to release the plate.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I allix my signature.

HENRY F. BECHMAN.

topics of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

tubular plate 

